My newest, and littlest, writing partner

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was doing some writing with a partner. Well, folks, it turns out that he's not the only one.

Yes, I'm writing a story with my daughter! (No, we haven't sold it, though wouldn't that be cool?) She's a huge Harry Potter and Lightning Thief fan, and she came to me wanting to write a book with mom. How could I say no?

The truth is, we've been having a blast, and my only regret is that I don't have more time to work on it with her (I mean, sure she wants to do it instead of more traditional schoolwork, but I'm still of the opinion that fractions have value and are not evil). And then in the evening I'm usually working on books that she really, really can't help with (vampires in love, anyone?)

So time is my only regret, but I do have to say that writing with your pre-teen is an education. I've learned that she has a strong voice, and that's awesome. I've also learned that she has no interest in actually planning the story out ahead of time. I can't condemn that–many of my published friends are the same–but do pantsers and plotsers really make a good mix? I've also learned that she has a nice sense for drama, which will soon be manifested in an exciting car chase scene.

There's a mythology component to the story, so in some ways we've got a bit of a school vibe going. But it's Chinese mythology, so it's new to both of us and, again, she wants to dive into the story. So we're learning as we go. Not a bad plan, really.

Most of all, though, I've learned what a great time we can have together. (Okay, I already knew that!)

If you want to check it out, the first two chapters are up. You can check it out here: Hour of the Dragon. If you do, please leave a comment and give a kid a thrill!



So what was your favorite activity with a parent growing up or with your own kids?